Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse has become the first mayor in Massachusetts to announce support for legalizing recreational marijuana, a stand that puts him at odds with other mayors and elected officials across the state.

Morse announced he plans to vote “yes” on question 4 on the Massachusetts election ballot this November which, if passed, would legalize recreational marijuana use for those 21 and older and authorize creating a system of retail marijuana stores, cultivating facilities, and manufacturers of edible products.

The opening of the first medical marijuana dispensary in Springfield – and just the second in all of western Massachusetts – is being delayed as city councilors review the terms under which the proposed facility would operate.

A special committee of the state Senate today released a list of recommendations for lawmakers to consider should Massachusetts voters later this year approve a referendum legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

A group of people involved in the medical marijuana industry are meeting for a seminar in Sheffield, Massachusetts Saturday. The Cannabis Research and Patient Care Seminar will feature panel discussions focused on how the use of medical marijuana has developed in Massachusetts. Commonwealth voters approved medical marijuana in 2012 and the first dispensary opened this June in Salem.

Although Massachusetts voters approved medical marijuana in 2012, it took until June of this year for the state to certify the first dispensary. Now the emerging industry is coming to western Massachusetts.

The New York State Health Department has announced the winners of five medical marijuana licenses, winnowing a field of more than 40 applicants. Empire State Health Solutions will manufacture the drug in Fulton County and distribute in Albany and Westchester Counties. Etain will manufacture in Warren County and distribute in Albany, Ulster, Westchester and Onondaga Counties. Other licensed applicants include PharmaCann, Columbia Care, which will distribute in Clinton County, and Bloomfield Industries.

A state lawmaker reviewing the selection of operators of medical marijuana dispensaries says the state agency overseeing the process should reconsider some highly-rated proposals that were not approved for provisional licenses.

Patrick told reporters on Monday that none of the 20 applicants approved so far have been granted licenses to operate dispensaries and won't be until they verify all the information they provided in their applications.

Governor Cuomo officially called for limited access to medical marijuana in his State of the State address. But sponsors of a bill to allow the illegal drug to be used for some medical treatments say Cuomo’s plan is outdated and won’t work.

As New York debates legalizing recreational marijuana, groups in Massachusetts are proposing location sites after voters in the state opened the door for medical use of the drug in 2012. So far at least two groups are looking to site a dispensary in the county’s largest city, Pittsfield.